Elections for a successor to pro-Moscow Chechen leader Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, who was killed by a bomb explosion in Grozny on 9 May, will be held on 5 September, Russian agencies quoted Vladimir Yakovlev, presidential envoy to the Southern Federal District, as saying on 12 May in Rostov-na-Donu. Yakovlev added that the ballot will be financed from the central budget. In an interview published on 13 May in \"Nezavisimaya gazeta,\" Yakovlev said the choice of a new leader lies with Chechen voters; he denied that the promotion of Kadyrov\'s son Ramzan to the post of first deputy prime minister means that the Kremlin has already decided that Ramzan should succeed his father. At the same time, Yakovlev argued that it is imperative to support what Kadyrov accomplished and \"the person who helped him achieve it.\" In a separate interview with \"Nezavisimaya gazeta\" of 13 May, Chechen State Council Chairman Taus Dzhabrailov declined to confirm that he will contest the ballot for republican leader, saying that \"Kadyrov\'s team\" will decide jointly on the most appropriate candidate. (RFE/RL)